1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an amphibious shoe for swimming and walking; and more particularly, to an amphibious shoe having a sole with a fin compartment integrated therein that houses a lightweight retractable fin which is deployed to convert the shoe from a walking to a swimming shoe.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Increased propulsion and maneuverability in water during diving, swimming, and snorkeling is typically achieved by utilizing fins. However, applying fins on land and walking into the water can be difficult, causing the person to trip and fall. Even still, carrying fins onto the beach or water's edge can be cumbersome, especially if other items also need to be hauled.
Amphibious shoe devices have been provided that utilize a separate mountable fin appointed to be removably attached to a shoe for swimming. Mountable fin devices pose significant problems, including time consuming attachment processes and burdensome carrying of the flipper. During walking, debris will easily lodge into screw holes, or other attachment means, clogging or damaging same so that attachment of a fin would become further aggravating, if not impossible. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,041,039 to Chang discloses an amphibious shoe including a shoe having a fastening plate at its front end for connection with a diving flipper.
Several swim shoes have been provided that utilize a rotatable fin attached or mounted on an exterior portion of a shoe construct. For example: U.S. Pat. No. 1,533,659 to Nilsson discloses a swimming device having one or more, and preferably two rectangular frames located in a spaced parallel relation running horizontal along the wearer's leg and having their inner members secured to a carrying element, and teaches a strap near the toes of the foot extending through an aperture in order to hold the shoe in place on a wearer's foot; U.S. Pat. No. 1,627,521 to Reinhold discloses a shoe having a laterally pivoting aluminum frame; U.S. Pat. No. 1,702,681 to Barbosa discloses a sandal/shoe with a blade structure hingedly attached to the side of the shoe; U.S. Pat. No. 4,250,584 to Korn discloses a collapsible swim fin; U.S. Pat. No. 4,752,259 to Tackett et al. discloses a rotatable two-part fin; U.S. Pat. No. 5,108,327 to Klein discloses a retractable rotating swim fin; U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,429,536 and 6,241,567 to Evans disclose a monofin comprising a swim blade having two adjustable foot pockets for attachment to the feet of a swimmer, and a non-mold method of forming articles, such as a swim fin; U.S. Pat. No. 5,447,457 to Kamitani discloses a pivoting swim fin; U.S. Pat. No. 5,879,212 to Kennedy discloses a rotatable blade (swim fin); U.S. Pat. No. 5,924,902 to Burns et al. discloses a shoe-like structure fused to a foldable one-piece continuous sole-fin; U.S. Pat. No. 6,155,898 to Burns et al. discloses a fin blade that rests adjacent to a wearer's instep; U.S. Pat. No. 6,247,982 to Walker discloses a rotatable fin; U.S. Pat. No. 6,540,574 to Hashizume et al. discloses a foldable diving flipper; U.S. Pat. No. 7,159,336 to Burns et al. discloses an improved amphibious shoe with a folding swim fin; and Foreign Publication No. FR 2565498 A1 to Vielle discloses a sandal having a rotatable flexible paddle. These external foldable fins, propellers, or blades are hingedly or bendabley attached to the exterior of the shoe in a vertical orientation for walking and rotated to a horizontal orientation for swimming. External positioning of the fin structure exposes the rotatable fin to damage and poses tripping problems as the fin readily snags on objects while the wearer is walking. Further, the external fin mounted on the shoe causes the shoe to appear aesthetically gaudy if the wearer exits the beach to walk on the boardwalk, or other proximate locations.
Strap type devices have been provided in the art for fastening portions together. For example U.S. Pat. No. 6,543,097 to Burt, et al. discloses a slide fastening device for sports article including two portions adapted to be brought closer together having a strap, one end of which is connected to a first portion of the sports article, which passes in a return connected to a second portion of the sports article. However, these types of fastening/support devices are not appointed to rotate in a pivotal fashion in order to provide enhanced support and cannot provide adequate support for a fin structure.
Various swim shoes have been provided wherein a pivoting propeller or swim blade is laterally integrated within the heel or back of the sole of a shoe. These propellers or blades generally operate to pivot from an axis located in the heel of the shoe so that the blades do not act as fins in the front of the shoe, but instead engage as propeller blades on either side of the back of the shoe. When deployed, the propeller blades do not act as a fin construct as there are spaces between the blades, which are not as effective as a fin during swimming. For example: U.S. Pat. No. 1,688,498 to Jacobsen discloses a swimming shoe wherein a device having pivoting propeller blades is appointed to be attached to the soles of a shoe so that propeller blades pivot outwardly from the heel of the shoe to operate as pedals.
Even where swim shoes have been provided with swimming propellers, fins or blade integrated within a cavity stowed in the front portion of a sole of a shoe, these swim shoes fail to provide stabilization means that operate in conjunction with the fin to prevent buckling of the fin or loss of the shoe during swimming. The frontward integrated swim shoes heretofore disclosed and utilized are generally constructed as sandals with instep straps, toe straps, and a heel strap with a retractable fin, failing to provide enhanced stabilization means during swimming. Other disclosed embodiments only provide a clog-like shoe structure, lacking heel supports altogether. For examples: U.S. Pat. No. 2,980,926 to Wolshin discloses a swimming appliance or fin shoe that contemplates a shoe similar to a beach sandal which is provided with an extensible fin having a plurality of relatively flexible ribs connected by integral flexible webbing which expands when pulled forward from the shoe and contracts when pulled back into the shoe; U.S. Pat. No. 4,599,071 to Juang discloses an adjustable beach shoe having a platform and straps, as a sandal, wherein peripheral walls of the platform are formed with a first cut-out on the front end for admitting a web to pass through, so that when the web is pulled out and held between the sole and the platform at the front end of the platform, the shoes can be used as a diving flipper; and Foreign Publication No. SU 995825 to Berman et al. discloses footwear for swimming including a shoe portion having a fin housed therein.
None of the water-land shoes heretofore disclosed provides an amphibious shoe having a sole with a compartment therein for housing a fin or fin forming blade structure, which further provides enhanced stabilization means for comfort and securement of the shoe during swimming. Such a construct would provide an amphibious shoe that can readily be manipulated from a walking configuration to a swimming configuration, while activating stabilization means for providing enhanced stability of the shoe during swimming.
There remains a need in the art for an amphibious shoe having a lightweight fin portion internally integrated therein for immediate access to facilitate conversion from a walking shoe to a swimming shoe. Further needed is an amphibious shoe having enhanced stabilizing means integrated therein for superior operation of the fin and stabilization of the shoe during swimming as water is propelled to-and-fro against the fin.